


lean on me

by v_ichigo_v



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: //small anxiety trigger in the beginning bUT THATS IT I SWEAR, M/M, cars disney au, daichis a mechanic and kuroo is a car racer, enjoy, ka-cHOW!!!, mater!bokuto? mater!bokuto., oh la la, vroom vroom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-25
Updated: 2016-03-25
Packaged: 2018-05-28 01:29:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6308929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/v_ichigo_v/pseuds/v_ichigo_v
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I can’t die, Tetsurou thinks. I’m too young to die, and Kenma’s waiting for me at Sapporo…</p>
<p>His next thought is something akin to: Wait, are you serious, this is my race car, holy fuck, no.</p>
            </blockquote>





	lean on me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Poteto](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Poteto/gifts).



> hello poteto, this is for our fic trade, I DID NOT FORGET,, this just kinda took me a while to figure out, but heRE YOU GO. ENJOY.
> 
> also pt of kurodai week 2k16 bc why not
> 
> prompt: alternate universe
> 
> fellow readers,  
> welcome. to disney car hell. join me.

It’s dark in the room, the garage door shielding the stage lights and the flashes of cameras. He can hear them from the car, the audience, the press, everyone. Tetsurou closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, chest slowly rising, controlled and focused. He rolls his shoulders and his lips curl into a small smirk, letting out a soft breath.

  


_ Speed _ . Tetsurou is speed. And Tetsurou knows that better than anyone else. He raps his knuckles quietly against his helmet and taps his right foot against the car floor. He feels giddy and jumpy at the same time. Tetsurou lets out another breath, bigger this time.  _ Let’s do this _ , he thinks to himself, fidgeting in his seat and running his hand over the headboard. 

  


“Kuroo-san?” Taketora thumps one of the windows of the car. “Are you ready?”

  


Tetsurou almost laughs because,  _ Are you kidding me? I was born ready for this. _

  


“You bet I am,” Tetsurou says with a chuckle and presses his foot down hard to rev up the engine loudly. The screen door opens slowly, and Tetsurou sees flashes of light lighting up the stadium, half of them paparazzi and the other half wild-crazed fans, desperate for a picture of their own.

  


Tetsurou can’t help but smirk at the camera and the crowd roars, screams filling the stadium as Tetsurou slowly drives onto the race track to get his car warmed up a little.

  


He is going to win this. He can imagine it now. Kuroo Tetsurou, the rookie car racer that won the Triple Ace Cup, the image of Japan’s fastest car racer on his shoulders...the fame, the money, the attention, he wanted it all. And he wouldn’t mind having fun with his future fans either, in bed, maybe.

  


“Alright, folks, today is one of the most important day of all time in car racing history! Ain’t that right, Ennoshita?”

  


“Absolutely right. We’ve got the three-time champion of the Triple Ace Cup, Ushijima Wakatoshi. the main image of Japan in the sport of car racing! Right behind him, we’ve got Iwaizumi Hajime and his spectacular mechanic, Oikawa Tooru.”

  


“I do believe that Iwaizumi is a candidate that is very thirsty for victory this year. They’re a team aren’t they? They have been for a long time, and they’ve been in Ushijima’s shadow for those years as well. But, I hear Oikawa Tooru has been getting even faster at checking and changing tires! They’re going to be trying their best for number one this year.”

  


“Actually, Kinoshita, I’m actually rooting for that Tokyo rookie, Kuroo Tetsurou! Young, raw, and he’s even got his own fanclub! But is raw potential enough to win against champion Ushijima and polished Iwaizumi? Oh, here they come now!”

  


Tetsurou smiles as he presses the gas pedal hard, making a swift turn across the stadium. The audience cheers as he stops right next to his pit team, and waves at them through the glass.

  


“Ey, Kenma,” Tetsurou says, breathless and nervous to get back in the track. “Ready?”

  


Kenma flinches, looking down, and away from all the lights flashing in his eyes. “As ready as I’ll ever be,” he says quietly, with a soft frown etched on his face.

  


He feels a wave of worry. “Are you going to be okay?” Tetsurou says. “There’s usually not this many people. I know you don’t like it.”

  


“I don’t know, Kuro,” Kenma admits, fidgeting. “This is the first time with so many-”

  


“We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” Tetsurou insists. “C’mon, Kenma, you don’t look too hot.”

  


“I said I would, so I will,” Kenma says stubbornly, but his eyes say otherwise. “And stop wasting your time, you’re supposed to be in your car.”

  


“You’re right,” Tetsurou says quickly, not wanting to look too cocky in front of the camera. “Don’t push yourself too hard, okay? Remember, you’re  _ my _ mechanic.”

  


He turns swiftly back around but from here, he can hear a stifled scoff.

  


_ Ugh, I don’t know if that even helped with his nerves. I might’ve made it worse, fuck _ , Tetsurou thinks to himself, and he opens his mouth to try and mend some of the damage he might’ve inflicted, but the starting whistle blows, and he figures that he’ll have to apologize later.

  


“You trust your mechanic, huh?”

  


Tetsurou looks up, surprised, to find Iwaizumi Hajime, the second most likely to win the Cup this year, standing before him.

  


“I’ve known Kenma forever,” Tetsurou says plainly, and a little offended that Iwaizumi would think he doesn’t know about these things. 

  


“That’s not what I mean,” Iwaizumi interrupts. “You need a pit team you can trust, you know? The lead mechanic isn’t enough. You have to trust all of them. Well, I’m not trying to berate you here, just--Keep it in mind. I couldn’t help but hear that conversation with one of your pit team members.”

  


Tetsurou holds in the instinct to scoff because  _ he knows that _ , and nods instead. “Thank you.”

  


The thing is, he doesn’t have enough support from the people in Japan to afford a good pit team he can trust. And Japan isn’t rich or anything, so he has to make do with what he has. He has Kenma, but Kenma falls under pressure, and he doesn’t want Kenma to feel so horrible in every single race there is, because there is bound to be more, and Kenma has to be there if he’s lead mechanic.

  


But everyone underestimates Kenma Kozume. He’s skinny, short, and he looks weak. Tetsurou is  _ furious _ at the way the press throws him under like that, and part of the reason why Tetsurou even wants him on the stage with them is to prove them fucking wrong.

  


“Good luck, though,” Iwaizumi says a bit gruffly, pats his shoulder, and walks back to his car, and Tetsurou nods with a forced smile, the confidence in Kenma’s mental strength still wavering. 

  


As Iwaizumi’s figure disappears from view, Tetsurou can feel his smile slide off his face and shatter to the floor. He gets that he can’t win alone, of course, and his pit team may not be the best, but the pit team he has now is all he has. He’s not even sure if he can replace them if he loses this. But if he wins the cup, he’ll get an offer for a new pit team from Mitsubishi and pretty soon, he won’t need to worry about grabbing a spiffy pit team anymore. Besides, Iwaizumi has the best mechanic in Japan leading his pit team, so he can’t really talk.

  


The whistle blows and Tetsurou opens the car door to drive the car forward. New tank of gas, new tires, he’s got this. He’s rookie Kuroo Tetsurou after all! He presses a little weight on the pedal to drive himself forward a bit, gripping the steering wheel hard, adrenaline pumping through him fast.

  


He looks around him and he’s gotta say, he’s impressed. Everyone on the track is in their spots already, eyes focused on the road. It’s going to be challenging, but Tetsurou can’t find it in himself to be nervous. Excitement is all he feels right now.

  


The crowd quiets a little and there’s no screams at all as a large, booming voice from one of the speakers starts talking, “Racers! Ready…”

  


The atmosphere grows tense and Tetsurou can feel the nerves this time. He takes a deep breath and stretches out his fingers before quickly placing them back on the steering wheel.

  


“Set…”

  


The audience goes completely silence with bated breath as Tetsurou nudges his gas pedal gingerly. He swallows heavily and a small bead of sweat trickles down from his forehead to his neck. He’s desperately waiting for the ‘go’, the ‘okay’, anything to get moving. 

  


The awaited gunshot rings through the air and cuts through the tense atmosphere like a white hot knife and Tetsurou crunches his foot against the gas pedal as fast as he can, tires shrieking and spinning. He takes off fast, leaving dust behind his competitors.

  


The moment his foot grinds down on the pedal, Tetsurou can feel a wild grin spreading across his face and he lets out a laugh that’s lost in the sound of tires skidding across the tracks. He swerves swiftly to the right, passing the car that was next to him. The crowd roars as the stage lights flash in his direction from the corner of his left eye, but in his mind, the sound has grown muffled.

  


Determined to get to the front, Tetsurou let’s out something between a yell and a cough, and speeds forward. He passes another three, weaving through the track with his car like a snake, until he’s right behind Iwaizumi. Tetsurou’s mouth curves into a small smirk and tries moving his car to the side to pass him, but Iwaizumi abruptly veers his car in front of him and Tetsurou’s car jerks to the side. Swearing under his breath, he attempts to steady it, but by the time the car is stable, Iwaizumi is ahead up to the point where Tetsurou can’t catch him anymore.

  


“Damn it,” Tetsurou seethes, digging his fingernails into the steering board in frustration. Quickly thinking ahead, he concludes that he had no choice but to stay behind Iwaizumi until the right time comes. It’s early in the race, so Tetsurou can always catch him later.

  


"Kuroo is thrown off by the oh so cool , Iwaizumi!"

  


"Well, both of them are aiming for the cup, aren't they? It's going to be intense! Plus, Iwaizumi has more experience in racing, doesn't he? It's going to be a miracle if a rookie can win this one."

  


Tetsurou grits his teeth with a thick wave of frustration rushing over him. Yeah, maybe he is a rookie, but it's not as if he didn't fucking work to get here. 

  


“Faster,”  Tetsurou says. “I just have to win this…” He is so close. He’s only an hour from being the top of the world, and sudden doubts aren’t going to stop him now. He straightens himself up a little more, and focuses on the road ahead of him.

  


He does have a long way to go after all.

  


That’s when everything fucks up.

  


Well, he doesn’t know it yet, but in the future, he’ll be more careful about it.

  


He was neck and neck with Iwaizumi and Ushijima, trying to get past them, but nothing was working. They were either engrossed on the track or intent on beating each other. 

  


When they were slowing down for the pit stop, that’s when Tetsurou saw his chance. 

  


He skirts to a stop at his pit team, rolling the windows down as fast as he can. He gestures to Kenma desperately to hurry it up, but it’s too late; Iwaizumi’s main pitter, the infamous Oikawa Tooru, is already done with all of Iwaizumi’s tires, and he’s already on the road.

  


Tetsurou bites his lip. He really wants to win. Can he win without a maintenance check? But he knows it’s a bad idea; he’s heard the horror stories, and he’s not planning to be one of them.

  


“Done,” Kenma says, shaky, panic rushing into his eyes like a big wave as Tetsurou rolls his windows back up and starts the engine again.

  


Tetsurou gives him a smile and a thumbs up. He looks at the rest of his pit team, and they look away in guilt. Tetsurou grits his teeth. So Kenma really was the one doing everything, huh? He needs a pit team that does things quickly and efficiently.

  


As he presses the pedal beneath his feet, the engine roars and makes a sound Tetsurou has never heard before. A small, dark feeling wells up in Tetsurou’s chest, but he shakes it off. Kenma’s never had a problem fixing up his car before, rivaling even Oikawa at times. But what worries Tetsurou isn’t Kenma’s skill. It’s the pressure. 

  


He spares a look back behind him, and his eyes widen as Kenma breathes out in relief, shoulders slumping, hands trembling. He turns back to the road and bites his lip. Kenma can’t deal with this every time. Even though he doesn’t want to, he’ll have to consider switching off Kenma once in awhile. This isn’t going to help his social anxiety, and it might even make it worse. Tetsurou can’t imagine how Kenma would deal with it if he screwed up in front of national television because of the tension and pressure on stage.

  


He races off onto the tracks, leaving all the other cars behind. Iwaizumi and Ishijima are only fifty yards ahead. He has to win. He’ll win the Cup, he’ll be famous, and he’ll never have to worry about money problems ever again. He’ll have his own, super-elite, pit team, his own fanclub. Kenma won’t have to worry about being Tetsurou’s only support anymore, because he’ll have real back up. He can’t stand accepting the fact that Kenma will always be the one doing work for him out there, alone. Brands will be swarming just for him to display them in next year’s Triple Ace Competition, where he’ll win, again and again and again.

  


He steps on the gas pedal hard, hoping that he’ll catch up, even if it’s just a little. Surprisingly, it does, and he sighs in relief. He manages to get himself right in between the other two professional racers, desperate.

  


“Kuroo Tetsurou has caught up to Iwaizumi and Ushijima!” Ennoshita cries in surprise. “Hold onto your hats, folks, at this point, any one of them can win!”

  


Ten minutes later, after a large number of laps, one of his tires make a weird noise, and Tetsurou suddenly feels a wave of panic of whether his car will hold up. He doesn’t get another pit stop. 

  


_ Of course she’ll hold up _ , Tetsurou scoffs, pressing his lips together.  _ She’s gotten me this far, she can’t let me down, can she?  _

  


It all seems to slow down a little, but at the same time, it goes by fast. Tetsurou has only twenty more laps to go, and yet, that bead of sweat at his temple seems to drip down the side of his face slowly.

  


It’s what he calls race-high, because at some point, all that pressure and anxiety that had him trembling in adrenaline post race accelerates, and suddenly he can see vividly and his eyes seem to make everything seem more lucid than it actually is. It’s crazy, and who knows if it’s even real, but this is his favorite part about racing.

  


He’s so close, he’s so close to actually winning this thing, and on the last lap, for maybe ten seconds, he thinks he will. He’s a car length ahead of both of them, but suddenly, he hears a popping sound and dread flows through him from head to toe. One of his tires is loose.

  


“ _ Fuck _ ,” Tetsurou swears, because he’s so fucking close and the finish line is right there. He doesn’t want to pin the blame on anyone, but it is definitely his pit team, even if it wasn’t intentional. He tries stepping on the gas pedal even harder than before, but suddenly, he hears another pop, and another tire is loose.

  


The car sways dangerously, and Tetsurou struggles to keep it in place, swinging the steering wheel one way, and another way after a second. Seconds feel like days at this point, and a bead of sweat drips down Tetsurou’s forehead. The finish line is right fucking there, and he is going to fucking finish.

  


Three.

  


Iwaizumi is right next to his rear-view mirror, and Ushijima is at his window.

  


Two.

  


Ushijima reaches his rear-view mirror, and Iwaizumi is almost right next to him. Tetsurou licks his lips.

  


One.

  


Tetsurou doesn’t bother looking at them, and stares at the finish line as it gets closer, and closer, and closer.

  


Zero.

  


Well, honestly, Tetsurou doesn't even feel that extra second, because he looks up at the timing board only for his jaw to drop.

  


All three of them, Tetsurou, Ushijima, and Iwaizumi, came in first.

  


With the exact same time.

  


Tetsurou desperately looks to the back of him just to make sure that it qualified for a three-way tie, but it’s no use. There are touch pads embedded in the finish line, and Tetsurou is so so sure he was first.

  


The crowd, on the other hand, bursts into applause, and Tetsurou makes his way off the road, feeling dazed, hands trembling, and feeling a slight turn in his stomach.

  


“Look at that!” Ennoshita exclaims through the microphone. “It seems like we have a three way tie! This means that there will be a final round, to determine the champion of the Triple Ace Cup!”

  


Tetsurou’s stomach suddenly flips, and he sighs. He’s never been so panicked before during a race, and he definitely feels like throwing up. But he can’t, not with the press in front of him.

  


“How did it feel when you felt that first tire loose?” one of the reporters ask, shoving a microphone in his face.

  


“Do you think you could've won if it wasn’t for the loose tires?” another asks.

  


“Pose for us!” another screams.

  


He almost feels his composure fall, irritation washing over him like beach waves in the sand. His loss makes him grumpy, but most of all, he feels tired. His nerves won’t stop jumping, and all he wants to do is fall into the king-sized bed the hotel has given him and sleep away his troubles.

  


He’s not even sure if he wants to race in the final round, with the way two of his tires had come loose. If Tetsurou calls this a huge crowd, the crowd during finals between the three of them will be even bigger and louder. He visualizes Kenma, shoulders shaking at the sight of so many people, and shakes his head.

  


“Kenma?” he says through the speaker in his ear, tapping at it impatiently. “You there?”

  


“Yeah,” Kenma says through the earpiece, and Tetsurou says nothing when he hears a sniffle. “What?”

  


“We need to change out-”

  


“Me, right?” Kenma says, sounding guilty. “Kuro, I’m-”  
  


  


“Kenma, don’t apologize,” Tetsurou insists. “Calm down, you sound like you’re having a panic attack.”

  


Tetsurou’s heart stops when there’s no sound on the other end, no ragged breathing, no nothing. He feels a rush of relief when he hears Kenma’s voice again. “Well,” Kenma points out. “I just made you lose.”

  


“You didn’t make me lose!” Tetsurou says, angry. “Kenma, we all tied, did you see us?”

  


“You could’ve won, Kuro,” Kenma says softly. “But because of me-”

  


“Hey, hey, hey,” Tetsurou says, trying to decrease the volume of his voice. “Calm down, okay? I know the crowd got to you, but Kenma, why didn’t you listen to me?”

  


There’s silence on the other end before Kenma speaks again. “We’ll talk about this in the car.” And with that, the line goes dead.

  
  


oOo

  


“Kenma?” he calls out, treading slowly and quietly.

  


He finds him, huddled in the corner of the car, breathing quietly. “Kuro?”

  


“It’s me,” he whispers, sitting himself next to him. “Kenma?”

  


Kenma groans and leans away. “I’m sorry, Kuro,” he says muffled. “Because of me--”

  


“It’s not because of you,” Tetsurou says, anger making it’s way into his voice. “It’s the rest of the pit team. What the hell were they doing?”

  


“Don’t be too hard on them, Kuro,” Kenma says, a little stronger this time. “They were probably nervous too.”

  


Tetsurou inhales deeply. “Did you have another anxiety attack?”

  


“No,” Kenma says, but Tetsurou can tell he’s lying.

  


“Hey,” Tetsurou says. “Calm down.”

  


“You need a mechanic, Kuro,” Kenma says, sounding absolutely helpless. “You saw me out there. I couldn’t do anything.”

  


“We’ll switch you out,” he says, rubbing at his back slowly. 

  


“How are you going to find another mechanic in two weeks?” Kenma says. _ It’s impossible _ is not said, but Tetsurou can almost hear it.

  


“Don’t worry about it,” Tetsurou says. “This isn’t your fault, okay?”

  


Kenma says nothing, but he stops leaning away. 

  


“You’re probably exhausted, right?” Tetsurou says. “I’ll call over Taketora and you can sleep in the car on the way to Sapporo, okay? I’ll drive my race car over, so just stay here.”

  


He climbs out of the car, but he stops when he hears Kenma’s voice again.

  


“Kuro,” he calls out, almost inaudible. Tetsurou looks back. “Thanks.”

  


Tetsurou flashes him a smile. “What are you thanking me for, huh? I already said not to worry about it. Sleep.”

  


And with that, he leaves the car, closing the door with a faint click.

  


oOo

  


When it’s around 2 am, and Tetsurou’s still driving to Sapporo, he knows he should call for some kind of hotel, or something. He’ll have to ferry there too, since Sapporo is on an island.  Some point while driving, he feels his eyes droop, and the next thing he knows is that he’s falling, in his car, down hill, to who knows where.

  


“HOLY SHIT, HOLY SHIT,” he screams, arms grappling for anything to steady himself on, but it’s kind of hard to do that when it’s dark, and you just might be falling off a cliff.

  


_ I can’t die _ , Tetsurou thinks.  _ I’m too young to die, and Kenma’s waiting for me at Sapporo… _

  


His next thought is something akin to:  _ Wait, are you serious, this is my race car, holy fuck,  _ **_no._ ** Because even if he does survive, he won’t have a car to race with to win the Triple Ace Cup.

  


All these thoughts manage to fly through his head as he finally stops, or at least, the car finally stops. 

  


He hears a horrible noise, and he looks up to see that his car has run into an electrical pole. 

  


Yeah. He really should’ve gone with the hotel.

  


He somehow manages to open the door, using his phone as a flashlight. He only winces when he imagines how the press will react, and oh god, if he killed someone while at it, he’ll be disqualified, won’t he?

  


_ Oh god, what if he killed someone? _

  


“Holy fuck,” Tetsurou mutters under his breath, adrenaline slightly dying down. He guesses he’s not sleepy anymore.

  


“Whoah, holy shit, look at the mess you’ve just made, ahaha,” laughs a voice behind him.

  


Tetsurou turns around, shocked, only to find a man, with uplifted grey hair, black stripes streaking the grey. He has a wild grin on, and Tetsurou sees his eyes glint gold in the darkness. 

  


“W-Where am I?” Tetsurou stutters, trying to keep his calm, but it’s kind of hard to do that when he just fucking crashed his car into an electrical pole.

  


“You’re in Sendai,” the man says, and Tetsurou groans because he’s not even close to Sapporo. 

  


“Sendai?” Tetsurou asks, just to make sure. He pinches himself just to make sure he’s not dreaming or anything.

  


If he was, it’s a pretty shitty dream. One of the shittiest dreams he’s ever had in a while.

  


“Yup!” the man says, nodding, kicking at some nearby rubble (rubble that Tetsurou most likely made). “Aw man, the whole town is going to have to pitch in to clean this up for you. You’re dead, you know that? Nekomata isn’t gonna like this. But nice car you have there--uh,  _ had _ there. It’s kinda...”

  


Tetsurou swallows dryly. “I can explain-”

  


“Nah, I saw the entire thing, bro!” the man says, grinning. “You just came tumbling down from nowhere and you ran into this thing.” The man motions at the wreckage before them with his hands. “Well, you’re right though. It is too late to be dealing with this. How about we deal with this-”

  


“Did I kill someone?” Tetsurou asks desperately.

  


“I don’t think so,” the man says. “Unless, someone just happened to be leaning on that pole before you--Oh wait, you might’ve, actually. But I doubt that--”

  


There’s a siren behind them, and suddenly, there’s light.  “Hands up,” says a stern voice behind him, and Tetsurou groans.

  


This day couldn’t get any worse.

  


oOo

  


Well, he just had to prove himself wrong, didn’t he? It's like he _asked_ for it, or something.

  


“So you’re saying,” the man says. “That you fell asleep? While driving?”

  


“Yes,” Tetsurou says, exasperated because he’s admitted to this twice already, and he just pulled an all nighter, spending the entire night in a cell.

  


The man grunts. “You’re going to have to pay for this.”

  


Pay? Tetsurou gulps. What were they going to do to him?

  


“Pay,” the man says, sighing. “You know? Money?”

  


He sighs in relief, and reddens at the misunderstanding. “Yes, sir.”

  


“Well, the last thing we need to do is to get everyone’s validation that they agree, and stuff,” the man says. “Don’t worry about it. And you said you’re a famous racer? They’ll let you off easy.”

  


“Thank you,” Tetsurou says, breathless and anxious to get back on the road. He hasn’t called Kenma yet, since they took his phone away, despite the ‘one phone call’ rule.

  


“Does everyone in this courtroom agree?” the man calls out, banging his gavel against the podium.

  


Everyone seems to murmur in agreement, and Tetsurou smiles. Just a little more, and then--

  


“I disagree, Ukai,” someone says, voice deep.

  


He turns to where the voice is coming from only to have his jaw drop. It’s another man, but--

  


He’s handsome. Tetsurou swallows hard, unable to stop his eyes from moving up and down, shameless.

  


The thighs,  _ holy fuck _ .

  


“I think,” the man says, and Tetsurou nearly sighs because,  _ even his voice is sexy.  _ “Rather than--”

  


“Wow,” Tetsurou says with a laugh. “Your voice sounds nice.”

  


The man looks at him warily. “Uh, thank you?”

  


Tetsurou catches himself before he can say anything more stupid. He literally imagines a big, gigantic zipper just closing his mouth shut because he can’t afford to embarrass himself more. So he clears his throat and goes with the polite route, instead.

  


“Uhm, what was your name again?” Tetsurou asks, feeling like a nervous wreck because he might be charged for damage of property, he has literally had zero sleep in the past sixteen hours, and oh my god, there’s a hot specimen of a man just standing in front of him, and he seems to be the most normal out of the whole lot he’s talked to.

  


“ _ Sawamura _ . Sawamura Daichi,” the man says, tone a bit tight, and Tetsurou knows vaguely at the back of his mind that this was a bad idea, but screw it, he’s had zero hours of sleep in the past thirty hours, so he might as well.

  


“Please tell me you're on my side,” Tetsurou says with a sigh. “I really need to get out of here.”

  


“Are you from Tokyo?” the man asks.

  


“Yeah,” Tetsurou says, excited that someone might recognize him. “You recognize me, right? Please, I have to be somewhere--"

  


For some reason, the man’s jaw tightens. “You  _ completely demolished _ the town, and you think that paying for all this to go away will work? After all the damage you did?”

  


“Yes?” he says, not sure if it’s the right answer, and the moment he takes a step forward, his knees buckle, and vision goes completely black.

  


oOo

  


When he wakes up, his eyes are heavy, and his body feels like he’s been hit by a hundred dump trucks. He notices that his cheek is wet. When he touches it, he realizes there’s a small ice-pack attached to his cheek. He groans softly and stretches his legs to stand up-

  


“Oh, you’re awake,” says a voice next to him.

  


He looks to the side to find the man from before, the one he--

  


_ Fuck _ , he thinks to himself, all memories from that morning rushing back into his head.  _ I was so awkward. Ugh, it can’t be helped. _

  


But it’s not like anything’s changed. The guy is still hot.

  


“You’re that guy from before,” Tetsurou says, grunting when he pushes himself higher against the couch(?). “Did you put this ice pack on me?”

  


“Yeah,” the guy says.

  


Tetsurou is silent for a moment. “Why…” he says, thinking. “Why do I have an ice pack on my cheek?” He touches it experimentally, only to wince when he finds that it hurts. 

  


“You passed out, hotshot,” Sawamura says, but he has the decency to sound just a bit amused, even though Tetsurou observes that his face doesn’t look sympathetic in the least. “Well, you did pull an all-nighter. And Nekomata did force you to finish court issues that day,” he says, shrugging.  _ He doesn’t even look sorry for me _ , Tetsurou thinks with a small snort.

  


“What’s so funny?” the guy, _ Sawamura, was it _ , says with raised eyebrows.

  


Tetsurou waves him off. “Nothing,” he says. “I was thinking.”

  


Sawamura raises his eyebrows. “ _ You? _ Think?” he says dryly.

  


Tetsurou frowns. “What do you mean?” he says, feeling defensive.

  


“You ran your car into an electricity pole,” Sawamura points out, lips twitching upwards. “I don’t know  _ what _ you were thinking. And you expected me to help you? Good luck getting out of this one, let me tell you. Nekomata doesn’t let tourists off easy.”

  


“ _ In my defense _ ,” Tetsurou says, embarrassed because he has to recover his loss of dignity from earlier today. “I was asleep. And I raced earlier that evening and I was trying to get to Sapporo so I could race in the finals. The press are probably going crazy looking for me right now, and Kenma! Where’s my phone?” He pats his pockets, only to have panic settle in when he doesn’t find it.

  


Something light falls into his lap. “It’s right here,” Sawamura says, shaking his head. “Ukai took it from you yesterday, remember?”

  


“Ukai?”

  


“He was leading the courtroom yesterday,” Sawamura says, as if that explained everything.

  


“Yesterday?”

  


“Ahh, yeah, you were asleep for a while,” Sawamura says, shuffling to get up and dust himself off. “I’m going home,” he says. “You were asleep for a give and take...eleven hours? It’s around noon now.”

  


“Wait, are you leaving me here?” Tetsurou says, unbelieving.

  


“There are motels,” Sawamura says, simply (He might as well be saying ‘Good luck’ right to his face) not giving him a second glance when he walks away and closes the door shut.

  


He stares at Sawamura’s retreating back, and sighs. Tetsurou thinks he’s fucked up for real.

  


oOo

  


“Well,” Ukai begins, and Tetsurou is relieved that he knows now knows his name. He admits it’d be awkward if he didn’t. “The town has decided to let you off easy.”

  


Tetsurou sighs. “Thank you so much, I-”

  


“Wait,” Ukai says, grunting. “I don’t think you know what we’re talking about.”

  


“I’ll pay all charges,” Tetsurou says, feeling guilty. “I’ll take care of the electrical pole--”

  


“You didn’t damage only the electrical pole,” Ukai says with a sigh. “You destroyed the entire road. There’s glass and wood parts everywhere. You permanently damaged one of the town’s electrical poles, and your car ran into a couple of shops and broke their glass windows.”

  


Tetsurou’s eyes widen. “I,” he starts, nervous. “I what?”

  


oOo

  


It turns out that fixing the road was Sawamura’s earlier proposal. Tetsurou somehow managed to drag some sign dug into the road behind him, and it completely messed up the road for about three-fourths of a mile. Now, he has to fix it.

  


Fix the entire road by himself.

  


In opinion, paying the entire thing off was the more easy way out rather than completely reconstructing it. And he’s not even sure how long this will take, with the heavy-looking machinery and blueprints. He’s no construction or PG and E worker, after all. The only thing he knows machinery-wise is how race cars work, and that’s obviously not going to help. He needs to get to Sapporo in two weeks, and Kenma’s probably already there.

  


Wondering where he is.

  


Fuck.

  


So Tetsurou decides to get himself out of it.

  


Which, incidentally, is actually very hard when you’re trying to tell that to a guy that probably despises you to the depths of hell.

  


“Listen,” Tetsurou says, incredulous and dread fills the depths of his stomach. “I know we got off on a rough start and all, but no way,” Tetsurou says. “I’m not doing this.”

  


“You are if you want to leave, city boy.”  says Sawamura, eyes glinting.

  


“I’m fixing a road that stretches for three-fourths of a mile?” Tetsurou asks, looking at the big machine. “Don’t I need other people to help me? No one will help me?”

  


“You’ve got muscles,” Sawamura says, lifting his eyebrows. “Man power, then.”

  


Tetsurou can’t help but tease. “You were looking at my muscles?”

  


Sawamura rolls his eyes, and whacks him. “Get to work,” he says. “And don’t forget that you have to paint over the road with the proper road lines.”

  


“How will I know which ones are where?” Tetsurou says, with a nervous smile.

  


“You’ll figure it out,” Sawamura simply says, and leaves without another word.

  


“Playing hard to get, aren’t you,” Tetsurou mumbles to himself as he spares a glance at the machine.

  


“Nah,” says a voice behind him. “Daichi’s just a bit on the rough side on new people here.”

  


He jumps in surprise. “Didn’t see you there,” Tetsurou says uneasily, recognizing the man with the grey and black hair from a day ago.

  


“I’m Bokuto!” the man says, grabbing his hand and shaking it with much fervor. “And wow, Daichi got hella mad at you, huh? Making you do this.” The man clicks his tongue. “This is savage.”

  


“Well, I set myself up for it, and all,” he mutters to himself. “And I completely just ruined his impression of me. He seems important here.”

  


“Yeah, Daichi’s pretty influential around here,” Bokuto, kicking some rubble. “But don’t take offense to it or anything. Daichi hates city people!”

  


Tetsurou’s eyes widen. “He hates me?”

  


Bokuto waves him off. “Yeah. But you’re not from the--oh wait, you are.” Bokuto cringes before continuing, “Uh, good luck.”

  


Tetsurou laughs, but it’s stiff. “Why does he hate city people?” he can't help but ask.

  


Bokuto laughs. “I don’t know. Just ask him. But if you do, there’s like, a 156% chance he’ll punch you for being an intrusive asshole.”

  


“So specific.” 

  


“Anyway, you said you were a famous racer, right? In the courtroom? What’s your name?” Bokuto asks, sidling up next to him to help with the straps.

  


“Kuroo Tetsurou,” he says, enlightened that someone is actually trying to make small talk with him. “Heard of me?”

  


“Hmm, I think I have, actually,” Bokuto says. Tetsurou sighs. Finally, a person to talk to that won’t glare at him, tease him for fainting in court, or press charges. (He’ll admit that Sawamura’s amused face with his eyes that-- no, this is bad, stop thinking about it). “Ah, wait, nevermind, I was thinking of Iwaizumi.”

  


Tetsurou rolls his eyes, and Bokuto laughs. “I kid,” he says, between laughs. “You’re the rookie, ay? Tokyo right?” Tetsurou nods. “Well, here in Sendai, not a lot of people are into that kinda thing. There’s a lot of us that are mechanics, though. Daichi’s one of them.”

  


_ Sawamura? _ he thinks to himself. 

  


“Yeah!” Bokuto says. “The one that was here earlier. I read your mind, didn’t I? Nah, you just whispered it under your breath. You really like him even after you just kinda embarrassed yourself in front of him, huh? I mean, Daichi is hot and all, but you gotta get on his good side first! And right now, I’m pretty sure you’re on the other side,” Bokuto says, laughing and slapping at his knee. “Oh well. All you Tokyo people are weird. Well, rumor has it he might have something goin’ on with Suga!”

  


“Suga?”

  


“Yeah, his partner in crime, or I guess he’s his partner with mechanic stuff. Daichi’s hella good with that kinda thing though. He can fix up a car lickkity-split!”

  


“Lickkity-split?” Tetsurou says, laughing.

  


“It’s a new word I learned recently. I’m trying to use it as much as I can before I get too tired of using it,” Bokuto replies.

  


“That kind of destroys the purpose,” Tetsurou says with a snort.

  


“Anyway,” he says. “Get on Sawamura’s good side so that he can patch up your car. Or, that’s what would I would tell you, if you didn’t completely blow it yesterday.”

  


Tetsurou groans. “How bad was I on a scale from one to ten?”

  


“Like a negative two, man,” Bokuto says, smiling while shaking his head. “I got secondhand embarrassment just from looking at you. But then again, you were probably really tired, so I can’t blame you.”

  


Tetsurou groans. “He looks reasonable. How do I get on his good side?”

  


Bokuto snickers. “Okay, I’m pretty sure I’m not supposed to tell you this, but Daichi loves Shoyu ramen. He’ll like love you, ah, but don’t quote me on that. It’s just something I do when I accidently knock over his tool stand. He gets so pissed when I do that, but I’ve done that a couple times, and he-”

  


“It’s fine,” Tetsurou says. “Ugh, I have to finish this first. I won’t get anywhere without getting this done. I have to be somewhere in six-no, five days, now. At this rate, if I don’t get anything done…”

  


As Tetsurou seems to think for another possible solution to this situation, there’s a snort behind them. “Wow, he’s actually making you fix this all by yourself?”

  


Tetsurou turns around to find a man with silver hair, and a gentle smile.

  


“Ahh, Daichi was a bit too cruel with you,” he says, sympathy in his voice. “I’ll help you, but don’t tell Daichi.”

  


Tetsurou lets out a large breath in relief. “Seriously? Thanks so much!”

  


“Suga!” Bokuto exclaims. “Shouldn’t you be with Daichi? Patchin’ up cars and all?”

  


“You know that we rarely get customers here, Bokuto.” Suga rolls his eyes. “Why does everyone think that? I’m just here to check up on the newbie.”

  


Suga raises his eyebrows at Tetsurou. “I’ve heard about you. From Daichi, that is,” he says with a little snicker. “Had to see if you were really as bad as he made you out to be.”

  


“I’m misunderstood,” Tetsurou says.

  


Suga laughs. “I’ve never seen Daichi so embarrassed.”

  


It’s Tetsurou’s turn to raise his eyebrows. “Embarrassed? He like, mauled me with his unimpressed stares!”

  


“It’s been awhile since I’ve seen such a reaction from Daichi,” Suga murmurs. “Well, I suppose it’ll be good for him. He’s been here for a while, after his parents left him.”

  


_ Parents? _ Tetsurou thinks to himself as Suga hums. 

  


“Good luck with repaving the road,” says Suga, waving. “Come visit so you can restart everything with Daichi. He’ll be glad to fix up your car if you win him over.” And with a wink, Suga leaves.

  


Tetsurou sighs.

  


If Daichi was even as easy to win over as both of them said he as...Well, Tetsurou doubts them anyway.

  


oOo

  


“Bokuto told me to get on your good side,” Tetsurou says, grunting as he scrapes some unwanted asphalt off the road.

  


The townspeople are taking turns watching him to make sure he doesn’t run away. He was lucky to have the first two days with Suga and Bokuto, but they say third time’s the charm, if that even relates to days, or chances, or whatever.

  


Tetsurou can hear the raised eyebrow in his voice. “Well, Bokuto should learn to not stick his nose in business that doesn’t belong to him.”

  


“Do you have a problem?” Tetsurou asks, looking at Sawamura in the eye.

  


“A problem with what?” Sawamura answers, pretending not to know.

  


“With me,” Tetsurou says, a bit sharply. “Don’t pretend you don’t know. You just sit around, not helping me, and I’ve seen you watch me, and unlike some people in this shitty town, you don’t even bother making conversation.”

  


Something flashes in Sawamura’s eyes, and he turns around walking away. “Sorry,” he mumbles, and for some reason, Tetsurou feels something stab in his chest. This isn’t the usual Sawamura who scoffs at him, who listens to his jokes, even though he pretends that they’re not funny at all. Sawamura is one of the townspeople that has to watch him, but-

  


Tetsurou doesn’t like the expression on Sawamura’s face just now.

  


“Is it because I’m from the city?” Tetsurou says, almost begging, whispering. 

  


Sawamura scoffs, looking at his feet. “Did Bokuto tell you that I have some kind of grudge against city people?”

  


“No,” Tetsurou says, a bit too quickly.

  


Sawamura snorts. “He did, then. Ignore that.”

  


“He said there was like a 100% you’ll punch me, now that I’ve mentioned it.”

  


Sawamura says nothing, but Tetsurou sees a smile at the corner of Sawamura’s lips. “Well, don’t bet on it.”

  


oOo

  


Tetsurou feels proud of himself until two critics take that pride, step on it, and bury it somewhere Tetsurou will never be able to find it again.

  


“The road looks horrible,” Sawamura says, deadpan.

  


Ukai nods. “Scrape it off and start over.”

  


Tetsurou’s jaw drops. “It took me two days!” Tetsurou says. 

  


Sawamura gives him a hard look. “We told you to redo the road,” he says, sighing. “Not make it worse.”

  


“You’re a tough crowd, huh?” Tetsurou observes. “Everything I do, you seem to always have to have a comeback.”

  


_ I spy, with my little eye, Sawamura’s ears turning pink? _ Tetsurou thinks to himself, amused as Sawamura scoffs.

  


“Don’t flatter yourself,” he says with a snort. “You’re just predictable.”

  


“ _ Predictable _ ?” Tetsurou says, incredulous. “Me?”

  


Sawamura gives him a wry smirk while Tetsurou splutters. “Yes.  _ You _ .”

  


“Listen, can we start over?” Tetsurou says. “Give me another chance to redeem myself? Please?” Recently (and by recently, he means just now) he’s discovered that Sawamura’s reactions are very entertaining, and he just wants to know him better. All he wants to do is just try to prove that he’s a decent person on the inside, and that’s what counts, right?

  


Sawamura raises his eyebrows. “Actually, to be honest,” he says. “I was going to show you around town, you know, because you’re new here. But then again,” Sawamura pauses for effect. “You destroyed a lot of property.”

  


“Thanks for the praise,” Tetsurou mutters under his breath.

  


Sawamura laughs, and Tetsurou suddenly thinks that he wouldn’t mind hearing it more often. But he’s too busy flushing from the embarrassment to say any more.

  


“Can you not,” Tetsurou says, face red.

  


“And here I thought city people were supposed to be cool,” Sawamura says smoothy, with a bit of amusement twinkling in his eyes.

  


A protest dies on Tetsurou’s lips as Sawamura walks off, with his hands in his pockets, looking quite content with the way he has completely demolished Tetsurou’s stride.

  


Not that he had any stride to begin with, ever since he ran into that pole with his car.

  


(Get it? Did you see what he--No.)

  


oOo

  


Over the next one and a half days, Tetsurou is less than ashamed to say that he does finish paving the road (maybe because he really wants that dinner date, who knows). It isn’t as hard as he thought it would be. He had to lug raw concrete around and put them in patches of wrecked rubble, but he stayed on track and managed to finish quicker than before. Everyone marvels at the new paving, and he goes out of his way to pay for new windows, and he even offers to pay for the electrical pole.

  


He completely forgets that he has to be in Sapporo in less than three days.

  


“Oh, it’s fine,” Sawamura says. “Ukai said it was fine. You’ve done everything, so you’re good.”

  


Tetsurou smirks. “So do I finally get that dinner?”

  


Sawamura reddens. “What do you mean?”

  


“You said, quote: ‘If you finish paving the road properly, I’ll let you take me out to dinner. But only maybe.” I think there was a wink in there too.”

  


“Charming, aren’t you?”

  


“I try to be.”

  


Sawamura raises his eyebrows. “One problem though. I don’t think I’ve ever said that.”

  


“It was implied,” Tetsurou says as a simple response, a bit taunting.

  


“That still doesn’t--” Sawamura tries, but Tetsurou sees the tips of his ears turn red, and wiggles his eyebrows, leaving him sighing.

  


“Fine,” Sawamura forces out. “Since you’re so eager.” Sawamura seems to slightly stumble on his words a bit.

  


He wants to see a lot more of that, to be honest. In the future, maybe.

  


Tetsurou smiles. “Really? Now?”

  


Sawamura smirks back and shakes his head. “I’ll find you.”

  


Then he walks off, and Tetsurou is literally on his knees. Is that how Sawamura plays? Throwing him around up and down, and side to side so much that Tetsurou starts getting dizzy.

  


Now he’s sure. Sawamura is worth it.

  


oOo

  


Tetsurou finds himself liking Sendai a lot.

  


He didn’t think that it would turn out like this. He meets Nekomata, and the moment Nekomata finds out that he’s a racer, he gives him a look that’s so familiar, Tetsurou had lurched with surprise. It was the same look he had seen his role model as a kid give the camera many times. He had won three Triple Ace Cups in a row, and Tetsurou doesn’t even know where he had found the luck to stumble upon someone like this. Once Nekomata had retired, he was literally off the grid, and no one was able to locate him.

  


_ “Would you--”  Tetsurou tries. “I mean, can you--” _

  


_ “I’ve seen you on TV, kid,” he says, with a small smile. “You gonna introduce yourself? Not that I don’t know you already.” _

  


_ “What do you mean?” Tetsurou asks, confused, and when Nekomata pulls out his phone with his car skewered by the pole, he flushes. _

  


_ “I can teach you when you get your car fixed,” Nekomata says, putting his phone back in his pocket with laughter in his eyes. _

  


_ Tetsurou groans.  _

  


Well, he does get attached easily, but this is a new record for him. He knew a good handful of people, and sometimes, they did him favors. He had to stay at a motel, but Bokuto knows the guy, and Tetsurou manages to get by with a discount.

  


“The ramen place,” Tetsurou suggests. “I’ll pay for your Shoyu ramen, and stuff.”

  


Sawamura looks suspicious, but surprised at the same time. “How did you know I like Shoyu ramen?” he breathes out, but Tetsurou thinks a smile is twitching at the corner of Sawamura’s lips.

  


Instead of answering, Tetsurou grins. He sees Suga wink at him from the corner of his eye, and Tetsurou flashes him a peripheral thumbs up. 

  


He’s glad that Daichi’s too busy preparing to murder someone (Probably Asahi, given what he’s seen last week) to notice.

  


oOo

  


“I don’t hate you.”

  


“Wow, thanks, Sawamura. I’ll take that as a compliment, then.”

  


“Don’t be so cocky. I might’ve meant that as an insult.”

  


“Nah, I don’t think so.”

  


“Fine, think what you make of it.”

  


“I will think of it as a compliment, thank you very much.”

  


(Mumbling that Tetsurou can’t quite catch.)

  


“Ahaha, what was that? I didn’t quite catch that.”

  


“Shut up already.”

  


oOo

  


When someone knocks on his door back at the local motel in the middle of the night, Tetsurou opens it to find, surprisingly enough, Sawamura.

  


“Hey, city boy,” Sawamura says, smiling a little. “Bokuto told me you were staying here.”

  


“Uh, yes,” Tetsurou says awkwardly, because he doesn’t have any pants on, and Sawamura’s right in front of him--

  


Sawamura seems to realize this because Tetsurou can see the back  of his neck flush a little.

  


“Uh, sorry, I’m just gonna--okay, I’m going to wait out here for you, just come out when you’re done.”

  


Tetsurou is amused, but also, very confused. “Where are you taking me?”

  


Sawamura gives him a small smile in response, closes the door, and leaves Tetsurou alone with his pants.

  


oOo

  


“Where are you taking me?” Tetsurou asks again, when he has on his pants (his best pants), and they’re walking somewhere, and Tetsurou has to continuously look up because Sawamura has a fine ass.

  


“You’ll know it when you see it,” Sawamura says simply, and Tetsurou pouts with impatience.

  


And after a few minutes, he does see it, R _ aven’s Repair and Mechanic _ it is.

  


“Is this your…” Tetsurou begins, and Sawamura nods.

  


“I’m here because I’m doing you a favor,” Sawamura says simply. “Your car was wrecked, and I’m going to fix it for you.”

  


Tetsurou’s eyes widen. “Wait, you’re not shitting me?”

  


Sawamura shrugs. “Nope. Bokuto actually hauled it over here for me.”

  


Tetsurou smiles. “You told him to?”

  


“Well,” Sawamura says, shrugging. “Yeah. But you’re going to have to help me to make sure I’m not damaging your car. I know my stuff, but your car doesn’t look familiar, so.”

  


Suddenly, the front door opens, and it’s Suga. “Daichi!” he exclaims, smiling. “You finally brought him!”

  


_ Finally?  _ Tetsurou thinks to himself as Sawamura rolls his eyes.

  


“This is Suga, if you didn’t know him already. He’s my assistant and specializes in sticking his nose in business that doesn’t belong to him.”

  


Suga flashes Sawamura a guilty smile, and opens the door for them so Tetsurou can walk in. The room itself is very small.

  


“Hey, Kuroo,” he hears behind him, and he sees Suga, with a small smile. Before Tetsurou can respond, Suga shakes his head, and leans in to whisper:

  


“You’re close.”

  


Tetsurou tilts his head in confusion. “To what?”

  


Suga rolls his eyes. “Daichi,” he says, whispering, and Tetsurou’s gaze flickers towards Sawamura. “Don’t even try to play dumb. I know you like him a lot.”

  


Tetsurou shrinks a bit. “Am I that obvious?” 

  


Suga smiles. “A little. It’s okay. Daichi won’t mind. He’s like that too.”

  


Tetsurou shapes his mouth an ‘O’ , and lets out a small noise of understanding and embarrassment.

  


“The repair room isn’t this one,” Sawamura says, startling Tetsurou. He motions towards a door. “It’s that one. But, this room is just for supplies and stuff. Your car’s in the repair room.”

  


“My car...being repaired,” Tetsurou says, breathless, almost forgetting what the repair is even for, but he remembers, and it hits him at the back of his head.

  


Kenma. The race.

  


Tetsurou swallows nervously, because Kenma is probably worried out of his mind, and…

  


The press.

  


Holy shit.

  


“Sawamura--” Tetsurou starts, but he stops himself once Sawamura opens the door, and he sees his car, looking completely new.

  


Hot damn.

  


His car looks amazing. It was red and black before, but Sawamura has managed to make it look new. There’s a new shine to it; a shine that’s never been there before, and are those white stripes of fresh paint he sees?

  


“I guess this replaces that ramen date, huh?” Tetsurou says with a small smirk.

  


He turns to look at Sawamura, only to find that the back of his neck is flushed. 

  


“Is flirting a casual thing back in Tokyo?” Sawamura asks with a small lilt in his voice, but  _ Tetsurou can’t see his face _ .

  


Tetsurou smiles and shrugs, even though he knows that Sawamura can’t see it. “Make what you think of it.”

  


“Idiot,” Sawamura says with a small sigh, but Tetsurou would give anything to see what his face looks like.

  


Sawamura rubs at the back of his neck, and sighs a little.

  


_ Right now. _

  


oOo

  
  


“Hold up,” Tetsurou says, watching Sawamura as he slowly looks up from his work, eyes full of question.

  


“Can I just apologize?” he says. “For being an asshole?”

  


“You’re not an asshole,” Sawamura says, looking down, and whether Sawamura did that to hide his expression, Tetsurou will never know. “And why are you apologizing? You made up for it already.”

  


“But I kind of was. Being an asshole. And also, you and Ukai convinced the whole town that I should fix it, so it was mandatory anyway. And...I’d like to apologize for being a little unreasonable with the...you know, fixing the whole town up and everything. I assure you that I’m a reasonable person, really. ”

  


Sawamura raises his eyebrows. “Really?” he says, as if it is a challenge, but there’s laughter in his voice.

  


Tetsurou pouts. “You know, for a guy like you, you sure tease a lot.”

  


Sawamura looks away, and looks at his ramen as if it is the most interesting thing in the world. “What’s that supposed to mean,” he hears him mutter, and Tetsurou smiles.

  


“But anyway, my real apology was the first one,”  Tetsurou says. “Just sorry. For everything.”

  


Sawamura finally,  _ finally _ smiles at him “That ‘everything’ includes a lot of broken windows and a smashed pole.”

  


“I know that,” Tetsurou says, reddening due to embarrassment. “And really? The smashed pole?”

  


Sawamura laughs, and Tetsurou chuckles a bit too.

  


“You’re...forgiven,” he says, giving Tetsurou a compromising look with something different in his eyes. He’s never seen it on Sawamura before. Tetsurou can’t help but get the feeling that he’s being read. “Well, you...didn’t even need to apologize…”

  


“Nah, I was being an asshole,” Tetsurou says, not bothering to hide the relief that’s probably showing in his smile. 

  


Sawamura’s face turns serious. “No,” he says, sighing. “It wasn’t just you. I just have bad memories of Tokyo, so it’s not your fault.”

  


Tetsurou’s eyes widen, but he doesn’t press into it. “Oh. Sorry.”

  


Sawamura shakes his head. “No, don’t apologize. Just because I have bad experience with city people doesn’t mean that it should apply to you. I’m the one who should be sorry.”

  


_ His parents, maybe? _ Tetsurou suddenly thinks, but he grins instead.  _ It’s not the time to mention it. Not when this is going so well. Not when I’m doing so well.  _ “Then I say that you don’t need to say sorry. See, our sorrys even out. So we’re all good, ay?”

  


Sawamura rolls his eyes, but he smiles back at him. “Okay, sure.”

  


“Also, Sawamura, mind if we do this again sometime?”

  


Sawamura looks confused. “The repair?”

  


Tetsurou laughs. It’s more like a date to him, but sure. He’ll wait. 

  


“No, dummy. Talking. Like this,” he says, but then he adds quickly, “If you want to.” 

  


“I want to,” Sawamura says, a little too quickly, and Tetsurou fists pumps in his mind. Instead of showing it, he smiles, rubbing his hand behind his neck.

  


“Cool,” he says, a bit hoarsely, because he’s finally getting Sawamura to trust him, and this means...dare he say it? Friendship? It’s a step forward, at least. (Also because he’s really excited for it, but he doesn’t need to know that. Plus, he can be afford to be in denial for maybe another couple hours.)

  


oOo

  


He’s about to take out his new and approved car (kudos to Sawamura, of course) out for a ride. He dialed Kenma a while ago and was unseemingly disturbed at the results.

  


“ _ Are you feeling okay, Kuro? _ ” Kenma asks, voice scratchy through the phone. “ _ This isn’t like you. _ ”

  


“What isn’t like me?” Tetsurou says with a laugh. “Being side-tracked isn’t so bad.”

  


“ _ You were so focused on what you wanted before _ ,” Kenma notes. “ _ Oh well, I suppose it’s a bit good for you, I guess. _ ”

  


Tetsurou rolls his eyes, but he laughs. “Yeah.”

  


There’s silence on the end of the phone. “ _ Kuro, you sound funny. _ ”

  


“I do?” he says. “I’m not sick or anything--”

  


“ _ You sound moony _ ,” Kenma notes. “ _ Kinda out of it. You sound happier, I guess. I can’t really explain it. _ ”

  


“This place is pretty relaxing,” Tetsurou says in response. “Also, don’t tell the press I’m here. I don’t want to give this town a lot of trouble.”

  


There’s a silence, longer than the last. “ _ You got attached. _ ”

  


Tetsurou nearly drops the phone. “Well, yeah,” he says, stuttering a bit. “I mean, this place is nice, so…”

  


“ _ This isn’t like you _ ,” Kenma says softly. “ _ Normally, you’d want to be there first to try out the track, but you’re gonna stay there? Until the competition? Then some town just, no wait, is it  _ someone _? _ ”

  


Tetsurou freezes. “Of  course I want to win, and of course I’m going to be there. It’s like, in what, a week?”

  


“ _ Kuro, it’s in  _ six _ days. And you didn’t answer my question. _ ”

  


Tetsurou shrugs. “I just like it here, okay? A couple more days couldn’t hurt.”

  


“ _ Kuro _ .”

  


“I promise I’ll be back in time to race,” Tetsurou says. “You know me. A man of promises.”

  


Tetsurou can hear Kenma snort on the phone. “ _ Sure. And come back soon. _ ”

  


“Do you miss me?” Tetsurou says with a small laugh.

  


“ _ I’m hanging up. _ ”

  


And he does. Kenma never kids around, and Tetsurou snickers.

  


oOo

  


“You can open your eyes now,” Sawamura says, and Tetsurou does, opening his eyes one by one, only for his jaw to drop to the floor.

  


“Sawamura,” he breathes out, voice raspy. “This is amazing.” 

  


It’s his car, with completely new paint and wheels.

  


“You haven’t tried it out, have you?” Sawamura says. “That should be the real thing.”

  


“Right,” Tetsurou says sheepishly. He makes his way into the car and starts the engine.

  


“Ooh,” Tetsurou says in awe. “Nice, Sawamura! This sounds smooth! The smoothest I’ve ever heard, actually.”

  


Sawamura smiles. “You still have to try it out, idiot.”

  


Sawamura open the garage, and Tetsurou wastes no time getting it onto the road. It feels great. With the road so smooth, and the engine brand new, it’s something he’s never really felt before. There were things that came close, but this takes the fucking cake.

  


“This is amazing!” Tetsurou says, laughing as he drives through the road. “This is amazing,  _ you’re _ amazing, for doing this,  _ holy shit _ .”

  


“Don’t mention it.” Sawamura says, smiling gently. “It was just a normal repair anyway. You don’t have to pay me, or--” 

  


“Get in,” Tetsurou says, stopping the car next to Sawamura and patting the seat next to him.

  


Sawamura looks confused. “Eh?”

  


“ _ Get in _ ,” Tetsurou says. “Let me drive you around. It’s really nice. You did a good job.”

  


Sawamura raises his eyebrows, but he slides into the seat, nonetheless. “Such high praise,” he says with a small laugh, covering his embarrassment.

  


Tetsurou starts the car again, driving across the empty road with a slow pace. “See?” Tetsurou laughs breathlessly. “It’s running so smoothly.”

  


“Yeah,” Sawamura says, looking a bit dazed.

  


Some mischief runs through Tetsurou’s stomach as he suddenly speeds up the car, without warning.

  


“Egh!” Sawamura gasps suddenly, jerking a little in his seat. He shoots Tetsurou a half-hearted glare. “Asshole,” he says, but he’s smiling.

  


Tetsurou only shoots him a small grin, and he revs up the car engine. They’re not going too fast, but Tetsurou rolls the windows down, and soon, their hair is whipping behind them.

  


Sawamura lets out a pretty little sound. It’s husky, out of breath, and full of exhilaration.

  


“I did do a good job, didn’t I?” Sawamura says, raising his voice a little to get it over the sound of the wind.

  


“I already told you that you did great,” Tetsurou says. “Don’t trust me?”

  


Sawamura scoffs back at him. “Maybe.”

  


Tetsurou rolls his eyes, but he brings the car back down to a slow pace. 

  


Suddenly, Sawamura sits up in his seat. “Wait, turn here.”

  


“What?” Tetsurou says, surprised a bit. 

  


“Left,” Sawamura says, pointing. “There.”

  


“Okay,” Tetsurou says, shrugging, and as he turns into the road, he sees a part of a cliff. 

  


Tetsurou stops the car, unclicking his seatbelt as Sawamura does the same.

  


“It’s pretty,” Tetsurou says, almost a whisper, as he looks over it, mouth curling into a soft smile.

  


“Yeah,” Sawamura says, eyes glowing. “It was one of the first things the citizens showed me. It’s even prettier during sunrise.”

  


“I can believe that,” Tetsurou says with a small laugh, looking up. “The sky looks so clear here.”

  


“Yeah…” Sawamura says next to him, sounding quiet. “Good thing I tweaked your car. Now that I think about it, it’s about time you got to see this view.”

  


“Are you kidding me?” Tetsurou says, grinning so big, it might crack his face in half. “A tweak? No fucking way, Sawamura. I’m getting you back for this. You even showed me this, too...”

  


Sawamura smirks. “Any ideas?”

  


Tetsurou frowns. “Ugh, no, fuck.” He searches his mind, trying to think of something special he can do for Sawamura. “I’ll think of something. Just give me a couple days…”

  


Suddenly, the light smile on Sawamura’s lips vanishes into thin air, and he turns his back to Tetsurou. “If you can think of  _ something _ ,” he says, but Tetsurou can’t see him saying it.

  


He doesn’t know why there’s a sudden prick of pain in his chest.

  


But he shakes it off, and Tetsurou smirks, grabbing Sawamura’s shoulder to turn him around and see him eye-to-eye.

  


“It seems that you underestimate my ability to surprise you,” he says, and Sawamura sneers at him.

  


“You can’t surprise me much anymore after slamming your car into that electricity pole,” Sawamura reminds him playfully, and he  _ sings _ the words, relishing the reaction he manages to pull out of Tetsurou every single time he mentions it.

  


Oh who is he kidding, almost  _ everyone _ in this goddamn town tries to mention it at one point.

  


Tetsurou huffs indignantly. “Unfair, Sawamura. That is playing  _ dirty _ . I’ll get you for that. I’m serious.”

  


Sawamura shrugs, “Catch me if you can,” he says smoothly, turning away and walking with a small sway of his hips that Tetsurou can’t help but notice.

  


Tetsurou ruffles his hair with his hand and sighs. 

  


Sawamura is making this way too hard to hold back.

  


Sawamura looks back at him, raises an eyebrow, and shrugs a little with a _very_ nice roll of his shoulders.

  


_ Very hard. _

  


As Tetsurou turns to ask him if they could come here to see the sunrise next time, Sawamura turns as well, and suddenly, their faces are way too close.

  


Tetsurou blinks in surprise as he looks into Sawamura’s warm brown eyes.

  


“Hi,” he says, a little choked.

  


“Uh,” Sawamura says blandly.

  


Tetsurou quickly turns his head back, feeling his face flush a little. “Were you going to say something? Your mouth was open?”

  


Sawamura somehow shakes off the embarrassment before he does. “You were looking at my mouth?”

  


This makes Tetsurou flush harder, as he sighs harshly, and brings his hand into his hair. “Agh, shut up.”

  


Sawamura laughs heartily, and Tetsurou can’t help himself; it makes him laugh too.

  
  


oOo

  


“Any ideas, Bo?” Tetsurou says, frustrated and racking his head for any ideas.

  


Bokuto shrugs. “I don’t know, maybe try something romantic. Daichi’s a huge romantic.”

  


Tetsurou jerks. “He is?”

  


Bokuto laughs. “Hell yeah. I’ve seen his room before. It’s got pictures of him and his family and stuff. Well, only a couple. After, his parents did just kinda left him because of money problems and--”

  


“ _ What? _ ” Tetsurou says, something pricking in his lungs because,  _ he can’t believe this _ .

  


“Eh?” Bokuto says. “What do you- _ Oh _ ,” he says, with a wince. “ _ Oh shit _ . Uh, just like, ignore that I ever said that. Just wipe it from your mind, or something.”

  


“Sawamura’s parent’s…” Tetsurou starts, not sure what to say.

  


“Don’t mention them in front of him,” Bokuto says nervously. “He’ll kill me. Or Suga. Suga’s the one who--Okay that’s not the point, ugh, but don’t mention it. He’s still sensitive about it. And he hates pity, so.”

  


Tetsurou feels something cold run up his spine. His mind flashes to Sawamura, in a dark, cold house, waiting alone at the table with his head bowed down as if he has resigned himself to this fate for the rest of his life. 

  


“Ugh! Fine, I’ll tell you, but don’t tell him I told you. I’m only going to tell you because I think you’ve changed him a lot,” Bokuto says, voice softening. “He never really liked newcomers from Tokyo, even though Daichi is from there himself. You know how he’s a mechanic here and all, right?”

  


Tetsurou nods stiffly, and Bokuto swallows heavily before going on. 

  


“Well. He’s really good at it. And back when he was in Tokyo, he was going to become a mechanic. But his parents were in really bad debt, and they…” Bokuto sighs. “They left him there. Living in Tokyo is pretty expensive. Way more expensive than living here. Not to mention that his parents thought that his dream of fixing cars was stupid. I dunno.”

  


“I didn’t know that,” Tetsurou says, biting his lip.

  


“Yeah,” Bokuto says, sighing. “Nekomata found him on the way of selling his old car parts. Took him in, and that’s how he’s here. Don’t give him a hard time about it, that’s all I can really say. And that’s why I told you that you shouldn’t take Daichi’s little grudge against city people seriously. He doesn’t mind you.”

  


Tetsurou feels like somebody has lodged something in his throat. What can he possibly say to that? It sounds horrible.

  


“Stop,” Bokuto says firmly, and Tetsurou blinks out of his train of thought. “I know what’s going on in your mind right now, and it’s not pretty, isn’t it? But stop thinking about it. Daichi’s here now, and that’s what’s important.”

  


Tetsurou makes a noise of agreement, and shakes his head. “We got distracted.”

  


“Sorry, bro,” Bokuto says with an apologetic smile. “But hey, more motivation to woo Daichi, huh?”

  


Tetsurou smiles. “Yeah. I’ve only got a couple days to do it too.”

  


Suddenly, there’s pain blooming at his right shoulder, and Bokuto cackles while Tetsurou winces.

  


“Then what are you waiting for? C’mon, I think I’ve got a good idea.”

  


oOo

  


It takes him a few days to set up everything, but the look on Daichi’s face is evidently worth the wait. His eyes are wide as the small rose-tinted lights above them reflect softly in his brown eyes. He’s doing something with his hands; they’re shaking, and one of them comes up to touch his mouth in surprise. Daichi’s wearing a button up and jeans. He claims that he feels underdressed, but Tetsurou doesn’t so. The jeans really shape the-- _ No, no, focus _ , and the lights above them really bring out all the light and shadows in the right places. It made Daichi’s jaw-line look like it could cut diamonds( _ Tetsurou, pull it together, pull, it, together _ ) and even more ruggedly handsome.

  


_ Ruggedly handsome? _ Tetsurou thinks to himself, and withholds the urge to run his hand down his face with mental embarrassment. When did he get so corny?

  


“What the hell is this,” Daichi murmurs softly, looking surprised as he glances at the table in front of them with a candle that Suga himself has provided, and a rose from Asahi’s garden. Tetsurou had hung small white Christmas lights in the trees that surrounded them, and even dabbed a bit of pink paint on them to make them look a bit peachy-looking, and it did wonders, really. The lights were his idea, but painting the lights pink came from Bokuto.

  


Tetsurou bows a bit. “For the one and only,” he says with a teasing voice, and Daichi’s eyes widen more in awe as soon as he sees the rose.

  


“What is this?” Daichi says, but instead of it coming out gentle and amused like Tetsurou thought it would, it sounds a bit strained, and Tetsurou can’t imagine why. “This is so...Oh my god, what are you even thinking, what am I even thinking

  


“This isn’t even all of it,” Tetsurou says triumphantly. “Your standards are pretty high, but I’ve got this, you see. I haven’t been planning this all for nothing.”

  


Daichi blinks, and looks at Tetsurou and stares. “All this,” Daichi says blankly. “For me?”

  


Tetsurou laughs, and dares to grab Daichi’s hand and squeeze it. “Yeah,” he says softly. “For my favorite mechanic.”

  


Daichi flushes at this, and suddenly, Tetsurou wants to kiss him.

  


“You really shouldn’t have,” Daichi mutters, eyes looking down on the ground, and Tetsurou frowns. 

  


“Why not?” Tetsurou presses. “You’ve done so much for me. It’s the least I can offer.”

  


Daichi is quiet, and smiles weakly. “It’s nothing.”

  


“It’s not nothing,” Tetsurou says softly, and with a rush of boldness, he gently lifts Daichi’s chin and waits, waits for Daichi to let him, to let him melt into him and let him stay there. Daichi nods slightly, and with a quick intake of breath, Tetsurou leans in and presses their lips together, chaste and mellow. His heart pounds loudly in his chest, and he wouldn’t be surprised if Daichi can hear it.

  


But Daichi doesn’t move.

  


Tetsurou moves back, and their lips release with a small ‘pop’. Tetsurou smiles, despite the slight foreboding feeling that something is going to go horribly wrong. “Uhh, Sawamura, I’m pretty sure kissing is supposed to be a two-way thing, you know?”

  


Daichi suddenly wrenches away from Tetsurou’s grip with this horrible expression on his face, as if he’s actually in pain, and Tetsurou is the cause of that pain, and  _ oh my god _ , he has fucked up something so precious.

  


“Oh, fuck,” Tetsurou says, panicking. “Uh, I’m sorry, I-”

  


“No,” Daichi rasps, face clenching. “I’m the one who--”

  


Suddenly, he sees flashes from Daichi and from the bushes spring men and women with cameras on their necks, cars that he’s never seen before in this  town, and a lot of shouting.

  


“We have found you, Kuroo Tetsurou!” a man shouts. 

  


“How did it feel to be stranded in the middle of nowhere?” another woman screams at him, thrusting a microphone in his face and shoving Daichi out of the way.

  


Tetsurou opens his mouth to protest, but he looks at Daichi, and frankly, he looks like shit. His eyes are closed, and his mouth is thinned into a line. Realization strikes into Tetsurou like lightning, and his knees wobble.

  


“Daichi?” Tetsurou calls out, one last time. “Did you…?”

  


A man make his way through the crowd, and hands Daichi a thick wad of money. 

  


“You’re the young man that contacted us a few days ago, correct?” he says brightly. “We are so grateful to you for contacting us. We couldn’t find him anywhere!”

  


Tetsurou sees Daichi breathe out, shuddering, and his shoulders caving in. Tetsurou isn’t sure whether he should be furious or shocked, because all he feels right now is something heavy on his chest, and his feet tingling unpleasantly like someone has pricked his feet with a thousand needles.

  


Suddenly, arms wrap around his shoulders, and they motion him away from the town, from the people, from  _ Daichi. _ He tries to look at Daichi one last time, but they’ve dragged Tetsurou far enough away to only catch glimpses of brown and white flashes of the camera that he had lived for so much before, but now, he's not so sure. 

  


He tries dragging his feet, and insisting that it is fine, they don’t have to  _ drag _ him, but it’s too late. By the time he tries to escape, he is already stuffed into a dark space that seems to feel like a car. He lets out a small sob that no one else can hear but him.

  


He was planning on going back, but not like this.

  


His mind unhelpfully reminds him of Daichi’s unmoving lips and his heavy eyes with his sagging shoulders.

  


Tetsurou closes his eyes and sighs shakily.

  


Yeah. Definitely not like this.

  


oOo

  


(Daichi stands there, feeling small and absolutely empty as he watches the last of the cars move out of town. When Kuroo was still here, the small pink lights above them twinkled, and it made Daichi feel... _ wanted _ . But now, all they did was add to an unwanted and equally as unpleasant feeling that builds up in his throat with each passing second. With a small sigh, he shuffles back into his shop, where Bokuto and Suga are awaiting him, both of them giving Daichi excited looks.

  


“What was with all the noise out there?” Suga says, smiling and looking amused. 

  


“Yeah!” Bokuto adds in. “Did Kuroo add in something he didn’t tell me? Darn, I wish I could’ve seen that! How was the surprise? I helped him plan it, you know? And another thing…”

  


Bokuto stops his rambling after he catches a glimpse of Daichi’s face, and frowns, exchanging worried looks with Suga. Daichi doesn’t dare look at the both of them. The shame is making his stomach churn. All Daichi wants to do to crash into bed, and he trudges forward to get to his room.

  


“Daichi?” Suga asks, soft, as if he knows, and it scares Daichi, the idea that he  _ does _ know. “Daichi? Why do you look so sad?”)

  


oOo

  


“Kuro.”

  


“Huh?” Tetsurou jerks out of it, then suddenly not remembering what he had been jerked out of in the first place. “What?”

  


Kenma sighs and gives him a look with narrowed eyes and a twisted mouth. “What are we going to do with you?”

  


“What do you mean?” Tetsurou supplies helplessly, sighing, and collapsing back onto the seat of his car. 

  


The car that Daichi had repaired for him.

  


The car that Daichi painted and even redesigned a bit for him.

  


Tetsurou inhales sharply. _ Fuck. _

  


“You’re in bad shape,” Kenma concludes. “Your race is in less than an hour, and you’re here, and not warming up. I told you that you should’ve left sooner. You always time everything so badly.”

  


“I _ don’t _ ,” Tetsurou says, almost whimpering, because he doesn’t, but who is he kidding, he could’ve left the town sooner. A door of opportunity had appeared when he had fixed the road and payed for all the damages he caused, and there’s absolutely no doubt to why he didn’t go.

  


It’s horrible, really, because he finds himself wishing that he is back in Miyagi, back with Bokuto, and the friendly townspeople, and  _ maybe _ Daich even, and  _ oh _ , just thinking about Daichi makes something in his chest go heavy, and for one insane moment that is thankfully short, he finds himself wishing he had never met Sawamura Daichi.

  


Sawamura Daichi, oh what a man. Tetsurou had just let himself fall into him, his hearty laughs, and his smiles, which didn’t happen so often, but once Tetsurou managed to open him up, he began to see those smiles more often.  And the moment they had together under those small lights was the best. Tetsurou’s heart was beating fast and light, and he was just waiting for Daichi to hit him in the head and cool it with the flirting, but he never did.

  


But then that makes him think about Daichi’s expression right before Tetsurou was taken away, and the bare thought of it makes it sick to his stomach. He just doesn’t understand why.  _ Why _ did Daichi do that? Tetsurou felt something, and he  _ knows _ that Daichi felt it too, just--

  


“Are you going to be okay?” Kenma asks, sighing. “You’re not exactly in top condition to race, and you don’t even have a head mechanic.”

  


Something close to dread (except that it feels a whole lot worse) pools into Tetsurou’s stomach, and he chokes a little.

  


“ _ Shit _ ,” Tetsurou says. “Oh my fucking-- _ Shit _ .”

  


Kenma’s eyes widen. “Kuro, you didn’t.”

  


Tetsurou laughs dryly. “No, you’re right. I didn’t.” Tetsurou takes a deep breath. “Oh my god,” he says. “I’m so fucking screwed over now,  _ fuck _ \--”

  


“Kuro, I can help you,” Kenma supplies unhelpfully. “I can--”

  


“No!” Tetsurou nearly roars, upset with himself, and upset with Kenma for even suggesting it again. “We’ve already went over this. You’re not doing this. We’re not risking your mental strength crumbling to pieces again.”

  


“Then where, Kuro,” Kenma says, eyes flashing with panic. “Where are we going to find you another mechanic?”

  


Tetsurou shrugs. “I don’t know. I guess I’ll just have to make do with none.”

  


“Kuro, you’re being an idiot.”

  


“What other choice do I have?” Tetsurou says, and he is horrified when he hears his voice crack. “There was one back at Miyagi, and I was so afraid to ask, because I was trying so hard to just--” Tetsurou stops himself, because if he goes on like this, he’ll hurt himself, and he doesn’t want to hurt any more than he is now.

  


He doesn’t need to look at Kenma for him to know what happened. But Kenma sighs anyway, and rubs his back.

  


“I was wondering how your car got so spiffed up,” Kenma says, a bit with amusement, and Tetsurou snorts. “Try his number.”

  


Tetsurou laughs, and it comes out ugly. “I don’t have his number. And I’ll doubt that he’ll want to hear from me anyway.”

  


Kenma’s eyes soften. “Kuro, it might not be like that.”

  


“Well it fucking seems like it,” Tetsurou says bitterly, shrugging, but his shoulders sag, and he rests his head on the arm of the seat rest.

  


Kenma shakes his head, looking down. “I'm sorry, Kuro,” he says, small. “I don't know anything, but maybe he’ll come back.”

  


Tetsurou gives him a smile. “Maybe.”

  


“Not just maybe,” Kenma says, rolling his eyes. “You’re famous, remember? I don’t know how you got away from the press so long, because almost everyone in Japan knows your name. Chances are, they might’ve genuinely enjoyed your company.”

  


Tetsurou opens his mouth to object, but Kenma opens the car door and slides out. “Go warm up,” Kenma says. And with that, Kenma disappears, leaving Tetsurou alone in the car.

  


oOo

  


Pulling onto the road, Tetsurou feels somewhat out of it. The road doesn’t have the same feel as the one back in Miyagi.  The crowd roars the same way, maybe even a little louder, but Tetsurou can’t bring himself to care. He sees Iwaizumi and Ushijima at the corner of his eye, and it daunts him. It’s never felt like this before.

  


For the first time in a while, Kuroo Tetsurou does not want to race.

  


It’s preposterous because he’s spent half of his life waiting for this moment, waiting to win, waiting to be champion, and waiting to win the Triple Ace Cup. It’s only now that he’s realized that the situation has changed, especially with no mechanic at his side. He’s fucked without one.

  


It’s a blur, really, after that. The announcers do their job, and they seem to focus on the fact that Tetsurou doesn’t have a mechanic, which pisses him off. Now that he thinks about it, he really would have Kenma as a mechanic rather than none, but for one, it’s too late now, and two, he couldn’t do that to him.

  


He lines his car up at the start line, sighing. He can’t stop thinking about what it would be like if Daichi were his mechanic. Tetsurou startles at the first name basis. Who knows, maybe Dachi has replaced Sawamura now for a while, and he’s just never realized it.

  


If Daichi was his mechanic...Tetsurou sighs. Sure, he doesn’t know Daichi’s repairment speed, but given that he fixed up Tetsurou’s car pretty fast, he wouldn’t think twice about it. 

  


Tetsurou jolts in his seat when the gunshot shoots through the air. His jaw drops when he realizes that he misses his start, and he hurriedly presses on the pedal hard, hoping that it’ll make up for his late reaction time. But it’s in vain. Iwaizumi and Ushijima are already ahead, and Tetsurou doesn’t know how long it’ll take to catch up.

  


“ _ Kuro _ ,” Kenma says through his earpiece. “ _ Can you go the first 24 laps without a pit team? _ ”

  


Tetsurou frowns while attempting to make a hard turn. “Uh, probably, why?”

  


“ _ I’ve found you a mechanic _ ,” Kenma says, a bit breathless, and Tetsurou is frankly surprised that he managed to find one that would agree to the feat in so little time. “ _ He’s just kinda, you know, preparing himself and all. He doesn’t have much experience on an actual track. First time for him. _ ”

  


Tetsurou snorts. “What good use is he then?”

  


“ _ Kuro _ ,” Kenma says, a bit snappy. “ _ Stop, okay? Do you want one or not? _ ”

  


“Okay, fine, I’m not complaining anymore,” Tetsurou says with a sigh, relief washing through him as he manages to get behind Iwaizumi and Ushijima. 

  


“ _ Besides _ ,” Kenma adds softly. “ _ I think you’ll be surprised. _ ”

  


“What?” Tetsurou asks through the earpiece, but it’s too late, Kenma has disconnected, and now, Tetsurou’s on his own. 

  


He doesn’t remember Kenma being buddies with any other mechanics, so Tetsurou doesn’t have much of a clue to who his temporary mechanic will be, but it’s better than having no mechanic at all.

  


Tetsurou can’t remember much after that. He does what he’s supposed to do, racing and turning, but he’s still behind both of his competitors.

  


Before he knows it, it’s the twenty third lap, and the earpiece in his ear buzzes again.

  


“ _ Hey, Kuro _ ,” Kenma says blandly. “ _ You’re losing _ .”

  


Tetsurou snorts through the piece. “Thanks for the reminder.”

  


“ _ You’re due for a pit stop soon _ ,” Kenma says, and Tetsurou can hear something shifting through the earpiece. “ _ I’m gonna hand this away to your mechanic now. _ ”

  


Tetsurou sighs. “Okay.”

  


“Good luck, Kuro,” Kenma says, and Tetsurou can tell that he really means it, and with that, there’s a bunch of crackling sounds, and it’s all quiet.

  


Tetsurou sighs. “Uhm, hey, sorry for so much trouble, but if you talk to me after this thing is over, I’m sure I can make it up to you somehow.”

  


There’s a laugh over the piece that nearly makes Tetsurou’s heart stop. “ _ Hey, city boy. I didn’t think you could sound this serious. _ ”

  


Tetsurou can’t help it. His eyes widen, and his lips stretch into a big smile. “Sawamura?” he rasps, wanting to laugh because,  _ this couldn’t be _ .

  


“ _ Hey _ ,” Daichi says. Suddenly, his voice gets a bit strained. “ _ Uhm, about that night-- _ ”

  


“It doesn’t matter,” Tetsurou interrupts, the smile hurting his face a little, but he doesn’t bother wiping it away. “You can tell me later. You’re here now, right? That’s all that matters.” Tetsurou feels giggles bubbling  their way up his throat. “Oh my god,  _ you’re here. _ ”

  


“ _ Snap out of it _ ,” Daichi says, laughing. “ _ Uh, this really is my first time doing this, so feel free to tell me what I’m doing wrong _ .”

  


_ As if he could fuck up anything that has to do with a car _ , thinks Tetsurou, feeling a bit dreamy.

  


“I’ll be sure to punish you if you do,” Tetsurou says, grinning.

  


“ _ Don’t be a pervert _ ,” Daichi says back, and Tetsurou can just imagine the blush, dear god.

  


“Hey. Daichi?”

  


_ “What? _ ” Daichi asks.

  


Tetsurou smirks. “Let’s win.”

  


He can imagine the smile on Daichi’s face, too. “That’s what I’m here for.”

  


oOo

  


Daichi checks up on his car so fast, Tetsurou isn’t ready for the ‘done’. Tetsurou’s eyes are wide. Of course Iwaizumi is already pulling back onto the track, but Ushijima’s mechanic has just finished, and Tetsurou feels his chest blow with pride.

  


“You really are the best,” Tetsurou says with a hoarse whisper, and Daichi winks at him.

  


“Save that for when you win,” Daichi says, hurriedly tapping on the window of his car. “And hurry it up, you’re losing.”

  


“What’s this?” One of the announcers cries. “I don’t believe it! That mechanic has pulled Kuroo Tetsurou into second place! Who is this new mechanic on the track?!”

  


The crowd screams with surprise, and as Tetsurou pulls onto the track, he finally gets that feeling back. The feeling that got him into car racing into the first place.

  


Adrenaline. But the good kind of adrenaline. The one that’s fused with confidence and support that Kenma alone couldn’t ever supply by just himself before.

  


He loves it.

  


“Get ready for a ride, Sawamura,” Tetsurou says teasingly, with more laps to go, but he’s sure they’ll go by in a flash. They always do when he feels this way.

  


He hears a snort from the earpiece. 

  


“ _ Maybe I was always ready. _ ”

  


oOo

  


Beads of sweat collect at Tetsurou’s brow, and at the corner of his eye, the lap counter turns to ninety nine as he passes the white line for the second-to-last time.

  


He’s gotta say, Daichi makes a pretty spectacular mechanic. And Kenma approves. He’s so close to winning too. Although Daichi’s experience on the track cannot compare to Oikawa Tooru’s, with each pit stop, Daichi has somehow managed to pull them ahead little by little. He doesn’t know what to expect, because any three of them could win. Iwaizumi is just a whisker ahead, while Ushijima is right next to him.

  


There’s a little fear tied into it, but the feeling of an amazing race drowns it out. 

  


Tetsurou can’t press on the gas pedal any harder, so he’ll have to rely on his turns that Nekomata had helped him with. They’ve helped him plenty so far. Surely, they’ll still help him now.

  


“ _ Get him on this turn coming ahead _ ,” Kenma says into his earpiece. “ _ You’re in the middle, but since Iwaizumi is outside of you, you might manage to skirt yourself into first. Ushijima’s right next to you on the inside, but your turn is faster. _ ” He sounds breathless. Kenma, too, thinks that Tetsurou can really do it.

  


“Got you,” Tetsurou says, with gritted teeth, and he turns, turning his wrist and lightening his weight on the gas pedal to get more leverage. 

  


“Kuroo Tetsurou is tied with Iwaizumi Hajime!” he hears, and the voice booming through the speaker makes the crowd go wild. I can’t believe it! Iwaizumi is next to him, but there’s only a quarter of the lap left! Although Ushijima isn’t too behind either…”

  


Tetsurou can see it. He can see the finish line, and he feels like he’s burning underneath his tracksuit. He’s actually going to do this. He’s actually going to-

  


Suddenly, he hears a pop, and horror rushes into his chest.  _ Fuck, not again, not again, not when I’m so-- _

  


But it’s not his tire, Tetsurou realizes a bit late. He looks to his left and sees Ushijima, face contorted, breathing heavy.

  


Ushijima’s tire has popped.

  


Tetsurou’s jaw falls open, and he doesn’t realize that he passes the finish line seconds later until the crowd screams, and the announcer shouting, “Kuroo has come in second!”

  


He stops his car quickly, and rushes over to Ushijima’s car. He hasn’t finished the lap yet; the tire had popped on the very last turn and it had skirted himself a bit ahead, but not enough. He is only fifty yards away, and Tetsurou, despite his bad relationship with the guy, runs over, and tries pushing his car forward anyway.

  


“What in the  _ world _ -” Ushijima starts, but Tetsurou shushes him. 

  


“Gotta finish your race,” Tetsurou says with a simple smile. “Third’s not so bad.”

  


Ushijima frowns at him. “You seem to forget that this race only consists of three people.”

  


“Doesn't matter,” says a gruff voice behind Tetsurou, and he turns around to find that it is Iwaizumi. “Third is third, just like how first is first.”

  


“Says you,” Tetsurou says, joking, and Iwaizumi gives him a crooked smile. 

  


“Okay, big guy,” Iwaizumi says, huffing as he pushes the car forward. “Rules say you've gotta be in your own car. Doesn't say anything about outside help. Don't disqualify yourself by helping us.”

  


“Right,” Ushijima says, a bit quiet, and Tetsurou finally realizes that for the first time in history, the Iwaizumi-Oikawa pair has won against Ushijima. And Tetsurou,  _ Tetsurou _ , has gotten second.

  


_ Second isn't too bad either,  _ Tetsurou thinks to himself with a small smile as the car finally passes the finish line, and the crowd claps for all three of them.

  


“Iwa-chan!” someone shrieks, and Tetsurou turns to his side to find Iwaizumi on the floor with Oikawa right on top of him.

  


“You did it, we did it,” Oikawa says, tears leaking out of his eyes, sniffling. 

  


Iwaizumi snorts, but Tetsurou sees him smiling, despite Oikawa’s weight. “Stupid, stop crying. You look ugly when you cry, remember? Gotta look good for the camera.”

  


“Iwa-chan,” Oikawa sniffles, and he hits Iwaizumi’s shoulder softly before burying his head into the crook of Iwaizumi’s neck and continues to sob while Iwaizumi rubs his hand against Oikawa's back, running over it softly.

  


Chuckling softly to himself, he walks back to his pit team, and he spots Kenma, giving him a thumbs up. 

  


“Good job, Kuro,” he says, giving him a small smile that Tetsurou is more than glad to take.

  


“You too, Kenma,” Tetsurou says, ruffling his ombré hair. “Second isn't so bad for a debut, huh?”

  


Kenma rolls his eyes, but he leans into it nonetheless before backing out of it once he catches eye of the press coming over.

  


There’s a small tap on Tetsurou’s shoulder, and he turns around, happy when he finds it someone that he had expected it to be.

  


“Hey,” Daichi says. 

  


“Hey,” Tetsurou replies. “You’re here.”

  


“You said that already,” Daichi says, mumbling.

  


Tetsurou smiles. “I know.”

  


Daichi snorts a little, smiling. Tetsurou leans in to kiss him, but suddenly, his eyes flare with panic, and Tetsurou freezes when Daichi touches his shoulder. 

  


“Not now,” Daichi says softly, eyes flickering around, and Tetsurou suddenly sees the crowd. He jumps, now realizing that it wouldn’t look very good if they kissed in public.

  


Tetsurou sighs. “Well--”

  


“BRO!” Bokuto screams, interrupting Tetsurou with a blinding smile. “HOLY SHIT, MY MAN.”

  


Tetsurou winces at Daichi, giving him an apologetic smile. Daichi shakes his head and smiles back. 

  


“I’ll just wait in your car garage after a few shots,” Daichi says, a little embarrassed. “There’s so much people here...I forgot how crowded it always is in Tokyo.”

  


Tetsurou nods, and almost lets him go, but one reporter stops Daichi, and asks him to stay for photos and an interview. After all, Kuroo Tetsurou shows up out of nowhere with an amazing mechanic? 

  


There are sudden flashes, and reporters can’t stop asking questions about Daichi.

  


“ _Where was your hometown?_ ”

  


“ _Who did you receive training from?_ ”

  


“ _How did Kuroo Tetsurou find you, in the middle of nowhere?_ ”

  


“ _Are you interested in my company sponsoring you?_ ”

  


Daichi backs up a little, looking overwhelmed. Tetsurou’s eye twitches, and he sighs irritably as Daichi struggles to answer the questions for himself. And it isn’t very easy when the photographers keep taking pictures of him with the flash on.

  


Tetsurou’s patience breaks when a particularly intrusive reporter asks Daichi a particularly intrusive question.

  


“Sorry, but that’s all the questions we’ll be answering for today,” Tetsurou says, smiling stiffly at the reporter. “We’ll be taking our leave now. But feel free to ask us more questions later next year. That way, you’ll have plenty of time to think of  _ good _ ones.”

  


And with that., Tetsurou steers Daichi away from the wave of reporters, who are already shrieking for more.

  


By the time they reach a place nice and quiet, Tetsurou is feeling exhausted, and leans against one of the racing cars with a big sigh.

  


He turns his head and smiles at Daichi. “Hey--”

  


“Wait,” Daichi interrupts. “Let me explain myself first. I--” Daichi stops himself, looking pained. “I was scared. I mean, I just thought that the flirting was a city thing--okay, wait, it's just that--”

  


“Calm down,” Tetsurou says, unable to mask the laughter in his voice. “Take your time.”

  


Daichi is silent for a moment before speaking again. “I...it happened after you said you would find a way to make it up to me...I was just on the computer, and I was just looking around, and I found this ad that said you were missing. You haven't been found for a week and a half, and I just--I couldn't believe it. So, I waited for you to tell me, but you never did...and I couldn't take it anymore. I told them, and I'm sorry.”

  


Tetsurou blinks before speaking. “Hey, it's okay. Really. I was planning on going back, but not before my mission of wooing you was accomplished, you know. But hey, do you think my mission was successful?” Tetsurou says this last part quiet, and teasing, picking up on the red that colors the tip of Daichi’s ears. 

  


“Yeah,” Daichi says, and this leaves Tetsurou in surprise. “You did.”

  


Tetsurou bursts out laughing, because he’s so relieved and happy, he can't contain it. Daichi scoffs, but Tetsurou waves him off.

  


“It's nothing,” Tetsurou says, blinking away happy tears that are threatening to spill. “I just still can't believe it. I keep thinking that you're not real.”

  


Daichi’s eyes sparkle with mischief. “I'm real,” is the last thing he hears Daichi say before he feels a pair of lips softly pressing against his, pushing, yearning. His eyes widen, almost chasing Daichi’s lips when he backs away.

  


Tetsurou blinks when Daichi maneuvers his hands to his hips. “And here I thought that a certain someone told me that kissing was a...two way thing?” Daichi says, with a soft, but sensual voice, and Tetsurou feels heat burn in his lower belly as he grips Daichi’s shoulders and presses them against his own race car.

  


“Ohohoho,” Testurou drawls, looking Daichi up and down with a quick swipe of his tongue on his bottom lip. “I'll show you kissing.”

  


Daichi’s eyes flash with challenge, lips quirking. “Show me then.”

  


Tetsurou presses their lips together hard, and Daichi sighs into his lips, shoulders relaxing. It wasn't like the first time, all hesitant and unsure, but it is so much better, and Daichi’s lips feel so, so good. Daichi slowly runs his tongue over Tetsurou’s bottom lip, and Tetsurou shudders while eliciting a series of soft moans. Daichi’s hands move to Tetsurou’s neck, and as Daichi leans more into the kiss, Tetsurou bites down softly on Daichi’s lip. He feels a rush of heat when he hears Daichi groan huskily, tightening his grip on Daichi’s hips with a _new_ type of adrenaline rushing through him.

  


They occasionally break away for air, but after one deep intake, they mold into each other again, and Tetsurou smiles because he’s waited for this, and his longing for Daichi is just so deep, he’s not too sure if he'll be able to pull himself out of it. Not that he wants to, anyway.

  


It feels like it lasts forever, and yet it isn’t enough when Tetsurou pulls away, breathing heavily, and finding himself wanting to kiss Daichi even more when he looks down on Daichi’s arousal-blown eyes, mussed hair, and his red lips from kissing.

  


“We should do that again,” Daichi whispers, a smile slowly forming on his lips.

  


“Count me in,” Tetsurou says, smile equally as big. Content and satisfaction rushes through him as waves when Daichi reaches forward and takes his hand to squeeze it.

  


oOo

  


Later, when they head back onto the track, hair mussed, and lips kissed red, Tetsurou sees Bokuto and decides to finally give him the gift he deserves.

  


“Hey, Bokuto,” Tetsurou calls out. “I’ve got a surprise for you!”

  


“You do?” Bokuto shrieks, and he runs over, nearly bowling Tetsurou over. “What is it?”

  


Tetsurou gives him a wide grin. “Ever been on a helicopter before?”

  


Bokuto’s jaw drops. “You didn't.”

  


“I did~” Tetsurou sings, backing away so Bokuto can catch a glimpse of a sleek, black helicopter resting on the middle of the field.

  


“ _ Bro _ ,” Bokuto says, getting teary-eyes. 

  


Tetsurou shrugs. “Kenma knows a guy. He's right there, by the way.” He points a finger at a man with curly black hair talking to Kenma. “That's him. Do you see him-”

  


“I see him,” Bokuto blurts out, speaking fast. “And if he's going to be running the helicopter, I should talk to him right? You know, about, uh, safety measures.”

  


Tetsurou smirks. “Knock yourself out.”

  


Daichi shifts next to him, gently punching his shoulder. “You're a good friend.”

  


Tetsurou flushes a little. “What? That was nothing.”

  


“No, I've known Bokuto longer than you,” Daichi says, grinning. “And let me tell you, I don't see him that happy too often.”

  


Tetsurou smirks. “I'm great, aren't I?” he asks, teasing.

  


“Yeah,” Daichi says, eyebrows raised. But he subtly, discretely, touches his pinky with Tetsurou’s, and holds it there. “You're pretty special.”

  


Tetsurou smiles, and says jokingly. “Aww, Daichi, in public too?”  With that, Daichi rolls his eyes.

  


He’s gotten used to the press, he’ll admit. They were attention-seeking, and he’d be lying if Tetsurou said he didn’t like attention. But it’s a different feeling now. He's got Daichi, and Kenma, and Bokuto, and instead of loneliness? Tetsurou feels something more like pride.

  


Daichi doesn’t even need to look at him. Just by being there, Daichi makes warmth spreads from his chest to his toes. 

  


He can get used to this.

  


“Well, now you can't ever get rid of me,” Tetsurou says matter-of-factly.

  


Daichi smirks. “I wouldn't want to.”

  


“Good,” Tetsurou says, suddenly feeling shy.

  


Somewhere in the back of his mind, Tetsurou takes his heart, and places it into Daichi’s hands.  _ Take it,  _ Tetsurou thinks to himself.  _ It’s yours. _

  


_ It’s yours. _

_  
_

_  
_

_  
_

  


**Author's Note:**

> the helicopter guy was akaashi


End file.
